Car-coupling



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

l HORACE F. FOSTER AND ERNEST L. WEBSTER, OF MILO, MISSOURI.

CAR-COUPLING.

`SPILCIIECA'IIION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 402,579, dated May 7, 1889. Application filed May 22, 1888. Serial No. 274,879. (N o model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, HORACE E. FOSTER and ERNEST L. WEBSTER, citizens of the United States, residing at Milo, in the county of Vernon and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplings; and We do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the. artv to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates tO improvements in car-couplings, the Object of which is to provide a cheap, simple, durable, and convenient device to serve as an automatic carcoupling, and one'that may be either uncoupled from either side or t-he top of the car without going in between the cars. These Objects we attain by means of the device illustrated in the accompanying' drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 isv a view in elevation of the device. tion showing the construction of the drawhead.

Similar letters Of reference indicate corresponding parts in both iigures.

A is an Ordinaryr draw-head of a car, and is preferably made with the front end, A2, beveled outward from the center, so that as the link strikes in the mouth it will be guided into the center of the draw-head. Said draw-head is also provided with a hole,

A3, which extends th rough the draw-head, and

is for receiving the pin L. Pin B is made 'to work in the groove C3 in the spring-head C, to prevent the spring-head from being thrown out of the draw-head by means of the spring K.

C is a springpiece for the draw-head, and is made to work easily back and forth in it, and is provided with a projection, C4, at its upper side, its front end, C5, being beveled to prevent the link striking it in coupling. Said projection is to assist the drawhead in holding up the link which is to be coupled, and also to permit the end of the link-which is being coupled to pass the pin L, which is held up out of the way Of the link by means of the projection C4, sothat when the pin drops'it will drop immediately into the link. The opening in the drawhead thus formed prevents the pin from striking the end or either side of the link, as the end of the link must pass the point where Fig. 2 `is a longitudinal vertical sec,

the pin drops before it is pressed forward by means of the spring K, which is placed in the draw-head, so that as one end rests against the back end, A5, of the opening in the drawhead the other end of the spring will rest against the back end, O6, of the spring-piece C, thus keeping it pressed forward.

E is a cross-piece secured to one end of the car, so that its ends will project out beyond the sides of the car. The ends of the crosspieceE are provided with arms or levers E2, which may also be provided with cords or chains E3, for turning the rod Or cross-piece.

E4 is an arm on the opposite side of the rod E, to the end of which is secured a suitable spring, F. The other end of said spring is secured to the end of the car to keep the rod thrown down. E5 is also an arm on the same side of the rod E, to the end of which the coupling-pin is secured by means of a suitable cord Or chain, E6.

H is a guide-piece secured to the end of the car, and through which the chain E6 passes. For this purpose said chain has a long link or rod, E7, which is hinged to the pin, and passes up through the guide H, for raising the pin by means of the arms E2 at the sides of the car, or by means of a cord or other attachment to arm E4 from the top of the car. Y Y

Thus we have an automatic car-coupling using the ordinary draw-head and pin, and at the same time one that' maybe easily uncoupled from either side or the top of the car without going between the cars.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is-

The combination, with a car, the drawhead, and pin L, of vthe cross-rod E, extending across the end of the car and having outwardly-extendin g arms, as E4 and E5, a spring, as F, attached to the under sideof one of said arms, and a chain, E6, having a rod, E7, on its end attached to the other arm, and the guide I-I, secured to the car, said rod IlT being connected with the pin L, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

HORACE F. FOSTER. ERNEST L. WEBSTER. Witnesses:

ICO 

